Vehicle self-collapsible cover

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a vehicle self-collapsible cover including generally a protective awning, an extension-structure, and a storage-case. The protective awning comprises two or four rolls of thin and tough material able to substantially cover the vehicles body. The extension-structure is driven by a central-lead-screw having two kinds of thread including right-handed thread and left-handed thread so as to be able to extend said rolls of awning. In one embodiment of the invention, the device is divided into two symmetrical halves joined together by a hinge and therefore foldable. Each half of the storage-case is supported by its own supporting structures and respectively capable to store two rolls of awning and one extension-structure. In another embodiment of the invention, the device is one unit which is assembled either fixedly by clamping or actively by screws on the top of vehicle. The self-collapsible cover may be operated manually or by motors. It also can be controlled by a remote.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims benefit of priority to the U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/646,715 entitled, “AutomobilePortable and Collapsible Cover”, filed on 25 Jan. 2005.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to vehicle coverings and moreparticularly to a self-collapsible cover for vehicles body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many kinds of devices relating to coverings for vehiclesavailable on the market now. However, it is hardly to find one which isflexible, convenient and efficient in using. Some of the availabledevices can cover only small areas of body of vehicle, a windshield, forinstance. Other devices may be quite cumbersome for using and storage.Small coverings are obviously not efficient in regards to the protectionof the vehicle from outside conditions, especially the heat of sun. Thedifficulty of storage brings an inconvenience in using of device.

The present invention overcomes those shortcomings and provides a newdevice of covering for vehicles body which is able to use instantly toprotect proficiently the vehicle body from external elements such as theheat of sun, corrosion of rain, and the like. Because of features oflightweight and collapsible to a tidy shape, the new device of thepresent invention is really convenient in using in a manner as easy aswe use our familiar umbrellas to shield ourselves from sun or rain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a self-collapsible cover for vehicles'body, including mainly a protective awning, an extension-structure, acentral-lead-screw, and a storage-case. The protective awning consistsof two or four rolls to be able to substantially cover a vehicle body.The extension-structure is driven by the central-lead-screw so as to beable to extend said rolls of awning. The storage-case is to store saidrolls of awning and extension-structure. The self-collapsible cover maybe instantly placed on the top of vehicle by using supporting structuressuch as suction-cups and supporting legs. The self-collapsible coveralso can be assembled either fixedly by clamping or actively by screwson the top of vehicle. The self-collapsible cover may be operatedmanually or by motors. It also can be controlled by a remote.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left side plan view of a preferred embodiment of aself-collapsible cover 1 of the present invention depicting four rollsof awning 2, four extension-racks 3 including main-racks 3 a andsub-racks 3 b which join to the main-racks 3 a by joining structures 12,and a storage-case 8 to be supported by supporting structures includingsuction cups 9. The main-racks 3 have soft buffers 13 at two ends toprevent the potential of scratching surface of vehicle in contact withthem.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view depicting said four rolls of awning 2 to beextended by four extension-racks 3 which are driven by acentral-lead-screw 4 via main-moving-pivots 6. The rotation of said fourrolls of awnings 2 is also assisted by said central-lead-screw 4 bymeans of gears 5. In a preferred option, four extra rolls of coveringmaterial 7 could be appended. Anti-theft straps 29 with hooks may alsobe equipped at two ends of storage-case 8.

FIG. 3 is an elevated top view depicting said four extension-racks 3 inopen position including main-racks 3 a and sub-racks 3 b which is joinedto the main-racks 3 a by joining structures 12. The central-lead-screw 4is divided into two halves having two kinds of thread, right-handedthread and left-handed thread.

FIG. 4 comprises of a plan front view, a top view and a section viewdepicting main leading components of the foldable-storage case 8contained in a foldable-storage case 8 including the central-lead-screw4, two main-moving-pivots 6, four sub-moving pivots 14 equipped withspring-tensioned-latches 15, and four latch-mate pallets 16 with holes17 on them and being driven by sub-lead-screws 18.

FIG. 5 is a perspective front view depicting a main-moving-pivot 6accompanying by two sub-moving pivots 14 which has a spring-tensionedlatch 15. Said main-moving-pivot 6 has two loops 19 and two pairs ofwedges 20.

FIG. 6 is a plan top view and side view depicting a latch-mate pallet 16with a non-movable hole 17 on it.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view and a plan side view depicting a latch-matepallet 16 with a movable hole 17 on it which is driven by sub-lead-screw18.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view depicting the storage-case 8 of the presentinvention divided into two halves which are joined together by a hinge21 having a spring 22 mounted on it, a pair of V-shaped springs 23,three or more suction-cups 9 which are driven by a base-gear 24 viaplanet gears 31, and a pair of cables 25 which are wound by reels 30 andconnected to a supporting leg 26. An upper-base-wheel 27 has a thread tomatch with a spindle 28.

FIG. 9 is a plan side view depicting the self-collapsible cover 1 of thepresent invention in the open position on the top of a vehicle,including the storage-case 8, hinge 21, V-shaped springs 23, cable 25,supporting leg 26, reels 30, base-gear 24, upper base-wheel 27, spindle28, and suction-cups 9.

FIG. 10 is a top view depicting another preferred embodiment of theself-collapsible cover 1 of the present invention in which the device isone unit consolidatedly.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the central-lead-screw 4 of the embodimentdepicted in the FIG. 10 in which the central-lead-screw 4 is solidlyincluding right-handed and left-handed threads.

FIG. 12 depicts the device of the present invention in the consolidatedembodiment being fixedly mounted on the top of vehicles by clamping.

FIG. 13 depicts the device of the present invention in the consolidatedembodiment being actively assembled in a groove on the top of vehiclesby screws.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-9, in one embodiment of the present invention aself-collapsible cover 1 for vehicles body is provided which is dividedinto two symmetric halves joined together by a hinge and therefore to befoldable after each time of using. It includes four rolls of awning 2able to substantially cover the vehicle body. The expansion of said fourrolls of awning 2 is executed by the extension of four extension-racks3. Said four rolls of awning 2 can roll up by themselves due toring-springs assembled inside. Each of said four extension-racks 3includes main-racks 3 a and sub-racks 3 b which joins to the main-racks3 a by joining structures 12. The main-racks 3 a have soft-cushions 13at two ends contacting with the surface of vehicle to prevent potentialscratching. The soft-cushions 13 may be made of rubber, polymers,elastic plastics, or the like, or combination thereof. In addition, thecore of the soft-cushions 13 may have some magnetic bars affixed.

Said four rolls of awning 2 may be made of tough and thin material so asto minimize the weight of the self-collapsible cover 1 of the presentinvention. The awnings 2 protects vehicle from external conditions suchas sun or rain, it therefore may be weather resistant. For example, itmay be waterproof and reflective of heat and light. In general, it maybe constructed from tough and thin material available on the marketselected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polystyrene,polyvinylchloride, polyester, gortex, cotton, parachute fabric, or thelike, or a combination thereof.

In order to moderate the intensity of spring-tension of said four rollsof awning 2, the rotation of said four rolls of awning 2 is assisted bythe rotation of central-lead-screw 4 by means of gears 5.

Firmly supported by supporting structures including suction cups 9 andsupporting-leg 26 the storage-case 8 provides a house to extend orretract said extension-racks 3, and therefore collapse and store saidfour rolls of awning 2. The base-gear 24 monitors the operation ofsuction-cups 9 via planet-gears 31, and supporting leg 26 via cable 25and reels 30.

Said four extension-racks 3 are driven by the central-lead-screw 4. Twohalves of the central-lead-screw 4 respectively have two kinds of threadincluding right-handed thread and left-handed thread. These two kinds ofthread are also respectively applied to the two main moving-pivots 6.The rotation of the central-lead-screw 4 makes two main-moving pivots 6reciprocating oppositely one to the other, and it therefore results inthe extension or retraction of the main-racks 3 a. In the meantime, eachof the two main-moving-pivots 6 has one pair of sub-moving-pivots 14accompanying which provide the extension or retraction of sub-racks 3 b.

In a preferred option of the present invention, the extension-racks 3can be purposely designed to decline from the horizontal line to acertain angle of about 5 degree to 25 degree so that the device maybecome more harmonizing with the outline form of vehicles.

The presence of loops 19 and wedges 20 has determined thesub-moving-pivots 14 always accompanying the main-moving-pivots 6. Aloop 19 is the means for main-moving-pivots 6 to bind and pullsub-moving-pivots 14 along behind them. In one moving direction, themain-moving-pivots 6 and sub-moving pivots 14 go together until they getto a certain point where the holes 17 are located. The spring-tensionedlatches 15 is slid into holes 17 so the sub-moving-pivots 14 stops atthe positions of the holes 17 whilst the main-moving-pivots 6 keepsgoing a short distance. This short distance makes the main-racks 3 abended to an angle at the position of the joining structures 12 betweenthe sub-racks 3 b and main-racks 3 a. As a result, two ends of themain-racks 3 a with the soft-cushions 13 go down to contact to vehicle.The angle between the main-rack 3 a and the sub-rack 3 b at the joiningstructures 12 is generally in a range of from 135 degree to 175 degreeand may be controllable by changing the location of holes 17 and theshort distance the main-moving-pivots 6 travel right after thesub-moving nuts 14 stop at the holes 17. The changeable angle andlocation of the hole may help the self-collapsible cover 1 of thepresent invention adaptable to various types and sizes of vehicles.

In adverse moving direction, the main-moving-pivots 6 go back from theshort distance to the position of the sub-moving-pivots 14. Before themain-moving-pivots 6 touch the sub-moving-pivots 14, those wedges 20come first and raise the spring-tensioned latches 15 up out of the holes17. The sub-moving-pivots 14 are now free and immediately pushed by themain-moving-pivots 6 back to the departure position. Consequently at thesame time, both main-racks 3 a and sub-racks 3 b retract back to thestorage-case 8.

The combination of main-racks 3 a and sub-racks 3 b creates a flexibleand steady structure. In addition, the linkage of the awnings 2 to themain-racks 3 a makes a suspension force as a complementary to thegravity of the extension-racks 3. These features bring a safety andreliability to the using of the present invention, especially onstrong-wind days.

The latch-mate pallet 16 provides a platform where the latch 15 slideson. The hole 17 may be designed on the latch-mate pallet 16 to benon-movable or movable. The movable hole 17 is provided by dividing thelatch-mate pallet 16 into two parts wherein the part with the hole 17 onit is movable and controlled by the sub-thread-rod 18. Each of thesub-lead-screws 18 also has two kinds of threads, right-handed threadand left-handed thread.

The storage-case 8 comprises of two halves which join together by ahinge 21. First half of the storage-case 8 stands on three or moresuction-cups 9 which are driven by a base-gear 24. The other half of thestorage-case 8 is supported by a supporting leg 26 which is pulled outfrom close position also by the base-gear 24 by means of a pair ofcables 25. Another function of the cables 25 is to open theself-collapsible cover 1 of the present invention. To facilitate theoperation of the cables 25, a pair of V-shaped springs 23 will raise theupper half of the storage case 8 to a certain angle from the lower halfof the storage-case 8 then the cables 25 start pulling and securing thetwo halves of the storage-case 8 together. Adversely, from the openposition, the storage case 8 may fold itself up due to a spring 22mounted on the hinge 21. The storage case 8 may include a carryinghandle and a fastening structure to fasten two halves of the case 8together. The spindle 28 has a thread to match with the thread of theupper-base-wheel 27. The upper-base-wheel 27 is solidly attached to thebase-gear 24. Therefore when the users of the present invention rotatesthe spindle 28, it makes the upper-base-wheel 27 and the base-gear 24rotating. The rotation of the base-gear 24 in a certain direction willtransmit to the planet-gears 31 and the reels 30. As a result, vacuum iscreated for the suction-cups 9 to suck on the surface of vehicle, andmeanwhile the cables 25 are wound around the reels 30 to open both thesupporting leg 26 and the storage-case 8. The self-collapsible cover 1of the present invention has now been secured on the top of vehicle, andthe user may open the awnings 2 by rotating the central-lead-screw 4.

In order to secure the self-collapsible cover 1 of the present inventionagainst theft or the like, the anti-theft straps 29 with hooks may alsobe equipped at two ends of the storage-case 8. The anti-theft straps 29may be spring-tensioned and made of tough material. The users can hookthem to the passenger handles available inside the vehicle.

Referring to FIGS. 10-13, in another preferred embodiment, theself-collapsible cover 1 of the present invention is one unitconsolidatedly. In this embodiment, the device of the present inventionis not divided by two as described in the first embodiment above [seeFIGS. 10 and 11]. The device may be assembled onto the vehicle by afixing structure such as clamping [see FIG. 12]. It also can be made asa standard part on vehicle when it is assembled actively on vehicle [seeFIG. 13] on which it may be raised up or lowered down by screws. Theoperation of the device of the present invention may be motorized andcontrolled by a remote.

1. A self-collapsible cover for a vehicle body comprising: a) a protective awning is divided into four rolls able to substantially cover a vehicle body, in which each roll has one or more ring-springs mounted inside to keep it tensioned all the time; and b) an extension structure able to extend said four rolls of awning comprising: i) four extension-racks, in which each comprises a main-rack and a sub-rack which is joined to the main-rack by a joining structure; and ii) a central-lead-screw being divided into two halves respectively having right-handed thread and left-handed thread; and iii) two main-moving-pivots; and iv) four sub-moving-pivots; and c) a storage-case being divided into two halves which join together by a hinge to be able to store said four rolls of awnings and said extension structure, and comprising: i) a base-gear, a cable, and reels; and ii) supporting structures including suction-cups and supporting leg;
 2. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein said protective awning is constructed from tough and thin material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinylchloride, polyester, gortex, cotton, parachute fabric, or a combination thereof.
 3. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein said protective awning is made of reflective and water-resistant material.
 4. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of said four rolls of awning is assisted by the rotation of the central-lead-screw by means of gears.
 5. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein four extra-rolls of coverings are added to expand the ability of the device of the present invention to cover more effectively the sides of vehicle body.
 6. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein each of said sub-racks is controlled by a sub-moving-pivot which is pulled and pushed by the main-moving-pivot.
 7. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 6, wherein the main-moving-pivot pulls the sub-moving-pivot by means of a loop and a spring-tensioned latch.
 8. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 7, wherein the spring-tensioned latch slides on a latch-mate pallet.
 9. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 8, wherein the latch-mate pallet has a hole for the spring-tensioned latch able to fall into it.
 10. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 9, wherein the hole is either non-movable or movable being controlled by a sub-thread-rod.
 11. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 6, wherein the main-moving-pivot pushes the sub-moving-pivot right after a wedge raises the spring-tensioned latch up out of the hole.
 12. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein the hinge of the storage-case is appended with a spring so as to keep the storage-case to be able to fold itself up when the cable is released from the reels.
 13. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein the foldable-storage case is equipped with a pair of V-shaped springs to make an angle between two halves of the storage-case so as to facilitate the cable to pull and open the foldable-storage case.
 14. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, wherein the foldable-storage case is secured by a spring-tensioned and tough-material anti-theft straps with hooks.
 15. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating means able to rotate the base-gear.
 16. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating means able to rotate the central-lead-screw.
 17. A self-collapsible cover for a vehicle body comprising: a) a protective awning is divided into two rolls able to substantially cover a vehicle body, in which each roll has one or more ring-springs mounted inside to keep it tensioned all the time; and b) an extension structure able to extend said two rolls of awning comprising: i) two extension-racks, in which each comprises a main-rack and a sub-rack which is joined to the main-rack by a joining structure; and ii) a central-lead-screw having right-handed thread and left-handed thread; and iii) two main-moving-pivots; and iv) four sub-moving-pivots; and c) a storage-case being able to store said two rolls of awnings and said extension structure.
 18. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 17, wherein the self-collapsible cover is assembled fixedly on the top of vehicle by a fixing structure, for example, but not limited to, a clamping.
 19. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 17, wherein the self-collapsible cover is assembled actively in a groove on the top of vehicle by a mounting structure, for example, but not limited to, screws.
 20. The self-collapsible cover according to claim 17, wherein the self-collapsible cover is operated by motors and controlled by a remote. 